MEETING CHIPPING BARNET AREA ENVIRONMENT SUB-COMMITTEE DATE AND TIME WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH, 2013 AT 7.00 PM VENUE 1255 HIGH ROAD, WHETSTONE, N20 0EJ

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1 MEETING CHIPPING BARNET AREA ENVIRONMENT SUB-COMMITTEE DATE AND TIME WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH, 2013 AT 7.00 PM VENUE 1255 HIGH ROAD, WHETSTONE, N20 0EJ Dear Councillors, Please find enclosed additional papers relating to the following items for the above mentioned meeting which were not available at the time of collation of the agenda. Item No Title of Report Pages 9. Feasibility Study of Traffic Management Measures and Safety Improvements on Totteridge Village N20 and Barnet Lane junction 1-10 Maria Lugangira

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3 AGENDA ITEM 9 Meeting Date 13 March 2013 Subject Report of Summary Chipping Barnet Area Environment Sub- Committee Feasibility Study of Traffic Management Measures and Safety Improvements on Totteridge Village N20 and Barnet Lane junction Director for Place The report reviews the necessity for traffic calming measures and safety improvements at the Totteridge Village / Barnet Lane Junction and outlines recommendations from the preliminary investigations. Officer Contributors Status (public or exempt) Wards Affected Key Decision Reason for urgency / exemption from call-in Function of Themba Nleya, Senior Engineer Public Totteridge Ward Not Applicable Not Applicable Executive Enclosures Drawing No C Contact for Further Information: Themba Nleya

4 1. RECOMMENDATIONS 1.1 That this committee note the outcome of the investigation into the feasibility of providing traffic management measures and safety improvements on Totteridge Village as presented in this report. 1.2 That this committee instructs the Director for Place, subject to availability of funding and a satisfactory consultation outcome, to implement the following; Installation of a vehicle activated sign (VAS) at the location shown on drawing C, Retention and re-aligning of the existing pedestrian island Kerb re-alignment, and Carriageway resurfacing renewal of road markings 1.3 That any objections from the formal consultation be addressed by the Director for Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment. 2. RELEVANT PREVIOUS DECISIONS 2.1 The Chipping Barnet Area Environment Sub-Committee sitting in 16 January 2013 considered the local ward member Councillor Alison Cornelius s representation and noted her concerns regarding concerns regarding the speed of cars and the increase of accidents on Totteridge Lane. There has been a steady stream of accidents - particularly with cars travelling from west to east - cars being upturned onto their roofs or going off the road into peoples' fences or gates and demolishing them. The Sub-Committee therefore instructed the feasibility study and cost analysis with regard to improving road safety in Totteridge Lane at the War Memorial Site. 3. CORPORATE PRIORITIES AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS 3.1 Introducing traffic management measures in the borough will contribute to the Corporate Plan priority A Successful London Suburb by enhancing Barnet s reputation as a good place to work and live. 3.2 The London Mayor s Transport Strategy also addresses these areas through: Proposal 30: The Mayor, through TfL, and working with the London boroughs and other stakeholders, will introduce measures to smooth traffic flow to manage congestion (delay, reliability and network resilience) for all people and freight movements on the road network, and maximise the efficiency of the network. These measures will include c) keep traffic moving, e) Planning and implementing improvements to the existing road network, to improve traffic flow on the most congested sections of the network, and to improve conditions for all road users 4. RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES 4.1 I consider the issues involved are likely to give rise to policy considerations as any proposed measures would then have to be considered for the rest of the 2

5 borough and may have a major impact on traffic flow especially from the consideration of Emergency Services. 4.2 There would be some minor disruption whilst the work is being completed but this would be minimised through traffic management in discussion with contractor undertaking the work. 5. EQUALITIES AND DIVERSITY ISSUES 5.1 The introduction of traffic management measures on Totteridge Village would minimise the risk of vehicle to vehicle and/or vehicle to pedestrian collisions on a relatively busy road and particularly benefiting vulnerable users such as the elderly, physical or visually impaired. 6. USE OF RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS (Finance, Procurement, Performance & Value for Money, Staffing, IT, Property, Sustainability) Finance Any measures that may be preferred will be accommodated within the 2013/14 or future Traffic Management and Road Safety allocations Procurement The highway works would be procured through the borough s highway term contracts There are no Staffing, IT or Property implications arising out of this report. 7. LEGAL ISSUES 7.1 The Traffic Management Act 2004 places an obligation on authorities to ensure the safe and expeditious movement of traffic on their road network. 7.2 The Council as Highway Authority has the necessary legal powers to introduce or amend Traffic Management Orders through the Road Traffic Regulation Act CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS (Relevant section from the Constitution, Key/Non-Key Decision) 8.1 Constitution Part 3 Responsibility for Functions Area Environment Subcommittees perform functions that are the responsibility of the Executive including highways use and regulation not the responsibility of the Council, within the boundaries of their areas in accordance with Council policy and within budget. 9.0 BACKGROUND The speeding investigations at this location have arisen due to concerns raised by a local ward member during a site meeting on 21 March 2012 following numerous reported traffic incidents. Subsequent meetings with stakeholders have since taken followed During discussions, various concerns and suggested remedial measures have been suggested by the ward member and are summarised in the table below; 3

6 Table 1 summarises the concerns as they were presented (column 1) and possible action (column 2). Concern / Request (as shown on sketch submitted by ward member and discussed during the site meeting at location) 1. VAS bend sign with SLOW Legend 2. Chevron Sign between tree and lamp-post Possible Action Following speed surveys at three agreed locations, a vehicle activated sign is among options being considered (Since been replaced) 3. SLOW text on c/way with chevron markings, 20mph roundels coming from Mill Hill SLOW carriageway markings and 30mph roundels marked on carriageway among options under consideration. A 20mph marking would require the Traffic Order to amend the speed limit and current Council approach does not favour the proposal barring a policy review. 4. Replace cat s eyes Replacement being considered as part of the next 5. Lower plinth of pedestrian refuge, ribbed lines either side of island 6. Refresh ribbed edge of resurfacing job at this location Re-aligning the position of the pedestrian island and reviewing the markings around it is among the options being considered Replacement being considered as part of the next resurfacing job at this location c/way markings 7. No right turn sign A destination sign (or legend type) in advance of the junction is being considered 8. Remove raised surface (No further action anticipated unless review shows otherwise) 9. SLOW text on c/way with chevron markings, 20mph roundels coming from Whetstone 10. Resurface with hard grip material (surface needs rehabilitation) 11. VAS bend sign with SLOW Legend 12. Totteridge Lane (from the bends to Burnhams ) + on every 3 rd /4 th lighting column a 30mph repeater sign 13. Move Give-way line back See (3) above Resurfacing options are being considered as part of proposals in this report See (1) above No further action Covered as part of the proposals in this report The last extensive pedestrian improvements at the location were done with the approval of Totteridge Manor Association during 2003/04 and sought to address particular difficulties for people wanting to use the westbound bus stop and the poor visibility of the westbound traffic that made the crossing location hazardous to use. As a result, the existing refuge, together with 4

7 some minor amendments to the existing footpaths and the island, were introduced whose aim was to channel the pedestrians to a single crossing point with enhanced visibility. The bus stop was relocated closer to the island by the existing bench to provide a more suitable waiting area for the users. Speed Surveys & Personal Injury Accidents Speed surveys have been conducted at agreed locations on both approaches to the island by the memorial. For the posted limit at 30mph that this section of road is subject to, the results as shown on the table below do not appear to suggest speeding. However, it is recognised that the road layout and kerb alignment at this location may not be helpful even for the low speeds that are being recorded Table 2: Highest recorded daily 85%ile* during the period 16 April to 23 April 2012 Table 2 NB SB Location (mph) (mph) LC41, north of Barnet Lane Junction LC30, south of Barnet Lane Junction *The eighty-fifth percentile (85%ile) speed is the speed at which 85% or the vehicles using that road travel at or below. It is nationally used benchmark by highway authorities and gives an indication of the extent of speed/trends at a given location The location appears on accident cluster sites previously presented to this Committee. The details of incidents presented then are shown on Appendix 1 and point to majority of incidents occurring in the dry and during daylight hours. Anecdotal evidence from recent incidents appears to suggest light dazzle could also be a contributory factor especially during those periods when the sun is hovering just above the horizon The latest available 3 year data is for the period October 2009 to September 2012 and is shown on Table 3 below. Therefore the data does not include any incidents after 30 September Like-wise the road traffic incident (Police Ref CAD 5665) of 4 February 2013 by Totteridge Village at the junction with Barnet Lane involving a school pupil (pedestrian) is not yet shown in the database and further details are awaited. Table to (12 months) Slight 6-1 involved vision affected by sun dazzle causing driver to lose control and hit island - 1 involved driver losing control on bend - 4 involved right turning movements and/or failure to give way Serious 0 Nil Fatal 0 None Totals 6 5

8 9.1.8 The recorded average 85%ile speed data, when taken in isolation, a conclusion is likely to be drawn not to introduce measures as the average 85%ile figures do not exceed the Association of Chief Highway Police Officers (ACPO) recommended thresholds for targeted enforcement. The ACPO threshold figure would be expected to be 35mph for this location. Road Layout, Carriageway Condition and Traffic Management Measures During investigations, poor skid resistance and worn-out surfacing was also suspected to contribute to incidents. However, condition surveys appear to suggest that the measured skid resistance (SCRIM) still meets the assigned investigatory level (IL). When the measured SCRIM value is below the IL that means the skid resistance has deteriorated but this does not appear to be the case here hence the location is not on the current list of sites that are due to be resurfaced The existing island introduced during previous improvements appears to be victim to the kink of the kerb alignment and frequently gets hit by vehicles. The proposals being tabled in this report suggest a minor re-alignment of the island However, the surfacing is developing potholes and there is need to consider resurfacing as part of the overall treatment of replacing the cat s eyes and renewal of the road markings on a like-for-like basis. The SLOW text markings on the carriageway will be introduced over the new surface and are therefore additional While there is a clear case for improving the kerb alignment, it would appear previous attempts have been constrained by the fact that the required land to achieve this is not public highway This report considers amongst other measures; i) a vehicle activated sign set at a low threshold to encourage drivers to reduce their speed if possible to below the posted limit, and ii) the kerb re-alignment to be necessary in mitigating related incidents and therefore proposes for land acquisition discussions with the TMA to be given consideration. The TMA would need to give approval for a VAS to be erected on land under their control on the existing lighting column. The proposed measures as highlighted on drawing C are being kept to a minimum and sympathetic in keeping with the amenity of the area The costs for the resurfacing job with, and without, the carriageway widening aspect are highlighted in Table 4 below but these do not include the cost of any anticipated land acquisition that could possibly be off-set by trading off an equal area of public highway land in-lieu. 6

9 Table 4 Costs 1no x VAS 4,000 Re-align island 7,000 (involves road closure) Kerb re-alignment 10,000 (includes grass verge being converted to full-depth carriageway construction, requires road closure) Re-surfacing 85,000 Totals without carriageway widening/kerb realignment with carriageway widening/kerb re-alignment When viewed in the context of the current approach to traffic management requests, the location does appear to meet the criteria for the below recommendations to be put forward as a candidate for funding The measures assume utilisation of a small amount of non-highway land. Discussions with the local ward member indicate that the landowners, the Totteridge Manor Association (TMA), are amenable to this and assuming the proposals are approved, appropriate steps will be taken to formalise this arrangement Therefore the anticipated aggregate cost for the vehicle activated sign, carriageway widening, re-surfacing and re-aligning the pedestrian island is at current prices including officer time. This figure does not take into account land negotiations or costs. 10 Officer Recommendations: 10.1 Therefore it is recommended the committee instruct the Director for Place to proceed to a detailed study and public consultation with a view to implementing the following subject to availability of resources; Installation of the vehicle activated sign (VAS) at the location shown on drawing C Retention and re-aligning the pedestrian island to continue to accord pedestrians the opportunity to cross the busy road in two stages Kerb re-alignment, and Carriageway resurfacing renewal of road markings 7

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